Kamloops drivers heading to the North Shore via the Overlanders Bridge will notice a change in the traffic pattern starting on Monday.

It is part of a three-week long pilot project until April 22 which the City hopes will ease congestion on the Summit Connector during afternoon peak hours.

“This will better improve the intersection flow by reducing the congestion caused by the traffic signal. Moving forward with the pilot, the traffic signal at the junction will be deactivated, which will allow the traffic to consolidate onto the Overlanders Bridge without interruption,” Development, Engineering and Sustainability Director, Marvin Kwiatkowski said, in a statement.

As it stands, North Shore bound traffic on the Summit Connector take the ramp to the Overlanders Bridge, which Kwiatkowski says has led to delays of 60 seconds or more during the afternoon peak hours with vehicle lineups of up to 1.5 kilometres in length backing up  all the way to the intersection Victoria Street West, Summit Drive, and Hudson’s Ridge Boulevard.

“Based on computer traffic modelling, there is opportunity to reduce the extensive queue length and delays,” Kwiatkowski said.

The exit towards Mission Flats and Summit Drive will remain open for traffic heading from downtown to Summit Drive.

Drivers are being told to pay attention to new signs and pavement markings through the Victoria Street West corridor and when approaching the bridge from the Summit Connector.

Staff from the transportation division will be monitoring the situation and collecting data to decide if the change should be made permanent once the pilot is over.